About the SCC Pickleball Club

“Pickle-ball” was created by two families from Bainbridge Island, Washington, out of desperation. One Saturday afternoon in the summer of 1965, when their children were complaining that there was nothing to do, Bill Bell and Congressman Joel Pritchard decided to teach them how to play badminton. The men set up the net and dug out some rackets, but they couldn’t find a usable shuttlecock, so they decided to use a 3-inch whiffle ball instead. The ball was too big for the rackets, so Bell and Pritchard made four paddles of solid wood. The next step was allowing players to hit the ball on the bounce instead of having to volley, as required in badminton. Badminton with a whiffle ball became tennis with a whiffleball the next day, when the net was lowered from 5 feet above the court to about 3 feet, allowing players to hit hard, low drives. The following weekend, Bell and Pritchard introduced the new game to a friend, Barney McCallum, and the three of them devised the first set of rules. All they needed now was a name for their new sport. The Pritchards’ cocker spaniel, Pickles, had become an interested spectator who would run off with the ball when it left the court. In his honor, badminton-tennis with a whiffle ball was named “pickle-ball”.

In 1967, Pritchard built the first “official” pickle-ball court in his backyard, and a few other courts were built in and around Seattle, Washington, over the next several years. Bell, McCallum and Pritchard formed the U.S. Pickle-ball Association (USPA), copyrighted the rules and registered the name as a trademark in 1972. Eventually, the hyphen was dropped, and the sport became “Pickleball”. In 1984, the USPA was replaced by the United States of America Pickleball Association (USAPA).

Pickleball is played under USAPA rules, guidelines and specifications. Courts measure 20 feet wide by 44 feet long with a net that is 34” high in the middle and 36” high at each end. Instead of rackets, short-handled paddles are used to hit a perforated, plastic whiffleball that measures 3” in diameter. Pickleball can be described as a court sport that is a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong. Pickleball combines ball control and placement with various degrees of power, quickness of movement and anticipation of where to be on the court by watching opponents. The game includes strategies of the lob, overhead and passing shots as well as fast volley exchanges.

The sport of “Pickleball” came to life on the South Campus of the Sun City Center Community Association in December of 2001. Don Van Gelder of the Sun City Center Community Association joint programs office and Walter Cawein, past-president of the S.C.C. Community Association, visited pickleball courts at The Villages near Ocala, Florida, when considering new facilities for Sun City Center.

With the enthusiastic support of our local residents, construction of two pickleball courts and a combination pickleball-volleyball court began in June, 2001. The first informational meeting of the Sun City Center Pickleball Club was held in August, 2001, and organizational meetings followed. The first Officers were elected in November, 2001, with Ron Hammaker serving as the first S.C.C. Pickleball Club President. The courts were completed in December, 2001, and the first players hit the courts immediately.

Each year, the Club conducts a General Membership Meeting in March and an Annual Meeting in November. The following Club Officers are elected in November: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and three (3) Directors. Effective November, 2005, the Club has been governed by their “By-Laws of the Sun City Center Pickleball Club”. Membership in the S.C.C. Pickleball Club is open to all current Sun City Center residents who are Community Association members in good standing upon payment of all Pickleball Club member fees. The current annual membership fee is $26.00, but new members joining after July 1^st pay $13.00 for their first year. Memberships expire December 31^st of each year but are automatically renewed upon payment of fees for the following year.

The SCC Pickleball Club raises funds to improve the Pickleball facility through various annual events; e.g., garage sale, Valentines dinner-dance and Fun-Fest booth. On September 8, 2007, there was a ribbon-cutting for two new pickleball courts made possible through Club funds and a $15,000.00 grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Sun City Center/Durward & Janet Siville Fund.

With the support of the Sun City Center Community Association, our five (5) pickleball courts are kept in excellent condition for the Club’s enthusiastic membership that now totals 125 active members. The Club offers new players free trial memberships, free instruction, wiffleballs to play and trial paddles. Club activities include daily games, round-robin tournaments and various social events. In October of each year, the Club hosts the “Pickleball Event” for the Tampa Bay Senior Games, with more than 100 participants from near and far.

During 2010, pickleball players will enjoy the new misting system in the player waiting area, purchased with Club funds and installed by Community Association staff. By the end of the summer of 2010, the Pickleball Club anticipates the installation of lights on Courts 1, 2 and 3 with funds from both the Club and the S.C.C. Community Association.

The Sun City Center Pickleball Club becomes more and more popular with each passing year. Participants benefit from great exercise while having a lot of fun. The residents of Sun City Center, Florida, are fortunate to have such an excellent pickleball facility for their enjoyment. For more information on the Sun City Center Pickleball Club and the sport of “Pickleball”, visit the Club website at www.pickleball.suncityctr.org .

What is the Sun City Center Pickleball Club?

Pickleball Club Executive Board 2010

Location

The pickle ball courts are located behind the Community Hall in the Sun City Center Sports Complex off of South Pebble Beach Blvd. Click on the link DIRECTIONS, to get an interactive map of the area.

Email distribution list for the SCC Pickleball Club

History of Pickleball Club in Sun City Center, Florida

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